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Dog owners may need to pay attention to diseases that many have never heard of before – anaplasmosis is spread by the same mites that transmit Lyme disease.
Anaplasmosis can make a dog hot or lethargic, and can lift his nose with food to lose weight, but many show no signs of illness at all. However, in rare circumstances, dogs can experience bleeding from the nose, pain in the neck, and have seizures.
Data from the nonprofit Companion Animal Parasite Council found that exposure to bacteria that cause anaplasmosis has skyrocketed, with the proportion of dogs across California, which almost tripled between 2021 and 2024, almost tripling between 2021 and 2024.
Humans can also suffer from illness. Dogs can get more tick bites and become sentinels for their owners as they are tested more frequently for vector-borne diseases than humans.
“It’s a coal mine canary,” said Brad Ryan, a professional services veterinarian at Antech Diagnostics, which provides testing and other services to veterinarians. “As the prevalence rates begin to rise in the animal population, we see that public health risks have also increased by default.”
Anaplasmosis and Lyme disease are spread by ticks that stray western breasts.
More than half of California’s counties are labelled with high risk of infection, including Santa Barbara and San Diego. The rise began after a few years of decline.
In Los Angeles County, which is considered moderate risk, about 1.2% of dogs are currently positive, more than twice the 0.5% they were five years ago.
The Companion Animal Parasite Council believes that number is insufficient and estimates that it only captures 30% of parasite activity in certain geographical areas.
“It’s very here.”
Climate change is one of the cocktails that drives the rise in tick-borne diseases across the country, as high temperatures allow parasites to move into new regions and lengthen the seasons. In California’s temperate zones, experts say risks are all year round.
The black-legged mites in the western region are migrating from the northern state to Southern California. Meanwhile, brown dog ticks – vectors for bacterial infections Aerliciasis – are trekking north from Mexico to Southern California.
The good news is that both puppies and those suffering from anaprosmosis usually recover quickly along with antibiotics. However, some experts say that in Southern California, perceptions of threats are a region that is not historically known for being tick havens.
“Anaplasmosis is not just an East Coast issue. There are so many here in California,” said Dr. Sunja Schweig, founder of the California Center for Functional Medicine.
“Unfortunately, doctors don’t always recognize that, so it can be really hard for people to get the right care.”
In the context
Compared to other parts of the country, the prevalence of anaplasmosis among dogs in Southern California remains low, with the Parasite Council projecting approximately 1% to 2% this year. However, there are hot spots along the state’s north coast, with a percentage of hot spots of 8% or more.
The breasted mites of the West thrive in a damp, cool environment. Experts disagree with the outlook for future expansion.
In the view of Janet Foley, professor of medicine and epidemiology at the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, they rarely go to gangbusters in dry SoCal.
They appear in friendly zones in places like Malibu, Ventura and San Diego, she said.
However, Ryan believes there is a possibility that mites will grow in the area.
“I’ve always been kidding, and there’s little rainfall throughout the year unless your veterinary clinic is installed in the middle of Death Valley National Park, so nothing will stop you from establishing these western black bark mites and deer mites in Southern California,” Ryan said.
Reports from the California Department of Public Health show an increase in potentially confirmed cases of Anaplasmosis in people in recent years. The raw figure is low, but this figure almost doubled between 2020 and 2021 and continues to rise until 2023, the year of the most recent report available.
In 2023, almost all of the 21 cases, including eight cases from LA County, were related to travel to Northern California or other parts of the United States.
Foley said there is a dramatic increase in Anaplasma in areas including New England, New York, Minnesota and Michigan. “So we’re going to see more cases in dogs and people because there’s an Anaplasma imported for more travel.”
Local factors may also be linked to this trend. People build deep animal habitats and slice the topography in ways that disrupt the ecosystem, Schweig said. Predators such as the bobcats may not be able to hunt rodents and birds (tick hosts) in pocket parks and suburban landscapes. Therefore, small animals and their parasites thrive.
Controversy: “Like a religious battle.”
It may be easier to take a test for tick-spraying illnesses to walk on two or more feet.
“To be honest, there are more options on the vet side,” said Antech’s Ryan. He recommends that veterinarians screen dogs for common vector-borne diseases in their annual wellness tests, and that dog owners place their pets on flea, ticks and heartworm preventative medications all year round.
In the human realm, Schweig is a member of the Scientific Advisory Board, describing the big fight for proper testing and treatment “like a religious battle” between the Centers for Disease Control and the American Infectious Disease Association “People like me and me.”
“We say there’s a big problem. It’s much more common than we know. Testing is clumsy. There are a lot of people with undiagnosed illnesses.”
He called the veterinary community “more open-minded” about Lyme and other tick-borne diseases. “Unfortunately, when you go to a human doctor, they don’t offer these tests on a daily basis, unless you get this clicking sound from you and you have no fever.”
Stay safe
Mites are active in California throughout the year, but the risk peaks in spring when biting arthropods are born and in the fall after the first rain.
Many humans get infected when they are caught between nymphtics. This is a life cycle period that is almost invisible to the naked eye, with the size of a poppy seed.
Anything that includes hiking, camping, horse riding, and actually getting into the grass increases the chances of being exposed to a bug.
To reduce the chances of mites bites:
Wear long pants and a Three-Besplay mites repellent, and after running wild in the tick profar zone, such as wooded areas, when you get home, remove your clothes and place yourself in a hair dryer for 15 minutes. It’s good to scan the hairline behind the ears, abdomen, armpits and gro diameter.
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